Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre will stream its Aug. 15 performance of Alan Bennett's "The History Boys" live on the Internet, a test run for what the group hopes can become a virtual live theater.

Starting at 8 p.m., the play can be seen at www.LIPLO.com (Live and In Person and Live and Online), an entertainment Web portal designed by PICT's Stephanie Riso and fellow Carnegie Mellon grad Alex Geis.

Anyone with a computer and high-speed Internet connection can be a virtual audience member. Viewers also can comment on the performance through a live chat, and a customer service technician will be available to help troubleshoot technical problems.

LIPLO was developed by PICT co-founder and operations director Riso in conjunction with Geis, of 21 Productions. Riso previously used the portal for live streams of cabaret shows from the Renaissance Hotel, Downtown. "History Boys" will be shown with the permission of the authors and actors and stage managers unions.

The streaming service is free during this trial period, Riso said, "but we are encouraging people to support PICT's LIPLO activities on the site through Paypal giving or sponsorships so we can track interest in the service."

"History Boys" is a test run for a full-length play following the cabaret experience.

"Here, there are a lot more challenges," Riso said. "Do we need to look at multi-camera, live editing? What is the end users' experience like, and do we need to modify how we're going to present the product through the portal?"

These questions need to be answered as the group moves toward a subscriber-based service, one that Riso hopes will expand not only PICT's reach, but that of other local theaters she believes will want to come onboard for exposure to a potential new audience.

Canadian actor Bernard Cuffling, who plays the eccentric teacher Hector in PICT's production of "History Boys," said, "It is not easy to travel from Canada to see many of the theaters I'd like to see, so this option is terrific."

Watch for updates about live performances at www.LIPLO.com.